Trig Cheat Sheet Formulas and Identities

Tangent and Cotangent Identities Half Angle Formulas (alternate form)

sin q cos q q 1 - cos q 1
Definition of the Trig Functions tan q = cot q = sin = ± sin 2 q = (1 - cos ( 2q ) )
Right triangle definition cos q sin q 2 2 2
For this definition we assume that Unit circle definition Reciprocal Identities
q 1 + cos q 1
p
0 < q < or 0° < q < 90° .
For this definition q is any angle. csc q =
1
sin q =
1 cos
2
=±
2
cos 2 q =
2
(1 + cos ( 2q ) )
2 y sin q csc q
1 1 q 1 - cos q 1 - cos ( 2q )
secq = cos q = tan =± tan 2 q =
( x, y ) cos q sec q 2 1 + cos q 1 + cos ( 2q )
hypotenuse 1 1 1 Sum and Difference Formulas
y q cot q = tan q =
opposite x tan q cot q sin (a ± b ) = sin a cos b ± cos a sin b
x Pythagorean Identities cos (a ± b ) = cos a cos b m sin a sin b
q sin 2 q + cos 2 q = 1
tan a ± tan b
adjacent tan 2 q + 1 = sec 2 q tan (a ± b ) =
1 m tan a tan b
opposite hypotenuse y 1 1 + cot 2 q = csc 2 q Product to Sum Formulas
sin q = csc q = sin q = = y csc q =
hypotenuse opposite 1
1 y Even/Odd Formulas sin a sin b = éëcos (a - b ) - cos (a + b ) ùû
adjacent hypotenuse x 1 sin ( -q ) = - sin q csc ( -q ) = - csc q 2
cos q = sec q = cos q = = x sec q =
hypotenuse adjacent 1
1 x cos ( -q ) = cos q sec ( -q ) = sec q cos a cos b = éë cos (a - b ) + cos (a + b ) ùû
opposite adjacent y x 2
tan q = cot q = tan q = cot q = tan ( -q ) = - tan q cot ( -q ) = - cot q 1
adjacent opposite x y sin a cos b = ëésin (a + b ) + sin (a - b ) ûù
Periodic Formulas 2
Facts and Properties If n is an integer. 1
cos a sin b = éësin (a + b ) - sin (a - b ) ùû
Domain sin (q + 2p n ) = sin q csc (q + 2p n ) = csc q 2
The domain is all the values of q that Period Sum to Product Formulas
cos (q + 2p n ) = cos q sec (q + 2p n ) = sec q
can be plugged into the function. The period of a function is the number, æa + b ö æa - b ö
tan (q + p n ) = tan q cot (q + p n ) = cot q sin a + sin b = 2 sin ç ÷ cos ç ÷
T, such that f (q + T ) = f (q ) . So, if w è 2 ø è 2 ø
sin q , q can be any angle is a fixed number and q is any angle we Double Angle Formulas
cos q , q can be any angle æa + b ö æa - b ö
have the following periods. sin a - sin b = 2 cos ç ÷ sin ç ÷
æ 1ö sin ( 2q ) = 2sin q cos q è 2 ø è 2 ø
tan q , q ¹ ç n + ÷ p , n = 0, ± 1, ± 2, K
è 2ø 2p cos ( 2q ) = cos 2 q - sin 2 q æa + b ö
cos a + cos b = 2 cos ç
æa - b ö
sin ( wq ) ® T= ÷ cos ç ÷
csc q , q ¹ n p , n = 0, ± 1, ± 2, K w = 2 cos 2 q - 1 è 2 ø è 2 ø
æ 1ö 2p æa + b ö æa - b ö
sec q , q ¹ ç n + ÷ p , n = 0, ± 1, ± 2, K cos (wq ) ® T = = 1 - 2 sin 2 q cos a - cos b = -2sin ç ÷ sin ç ÷
è 2ø w è 2 ø è 2 ø
2 tan q
cot q , q ¹ n p , n = 0, ± 1, ± 2, K tan (wq ) ® T =
p tan ( 2q ) = Cofunction Formulas
w 1 - tan 2 q
æp ö æp ö
Range 2p Degrees to Radians Formulas sin ç - q ÷ = cos q cos ç - q ÷ = sin q
csc (wq ) ® T = è2 ø è2 ø
The range is all possible values to get w If x is an angle in degrees and t is an
out of the function. angle in radians then æp ö æp ö
2p csc ç - q ÷ = sec q sec ç - q ÷ = csc q
-1 £ sin q £ 1 csc q ³ 1 and csc q £ -1 sec ( wq ) ® T = p t px 180t è2 ø è2 ø
w = Þ t= and x =
-1 £ cos q £ 1 sec q ³ 1 and sec q £ -1 180 x 180 p æp ö æp ö
p tan ç - q ÷ = cot q cot ç - q ÷ = tan q
-¥ < tan q < ¥ -¥ < cot q < ¥ cot ( wq ) ® T = è2 ø è2 ø
w

© 2005 Paul Dawkins © 2005 Paul Dawkins

 Unit Circle
Inverse Trig Functions
Definition Inverse Properties
y
( 0,1) y = sin -1 x is equivalent to x = sin y cos ( cos -1 ( x ) ) = x cos - 1 ( cos (q ) ) = q
p æ1 3ö y = cos -1 x is equivalent to x = cos y sin ( sin -1 ( x ) ) = x sin - 1 (sin (q ) ) = q
æ 1 3ö çç 2 , 2 ÷÷
ç- , ÷ 2 è ø
y = tan x is equivalent to x = tan y
-1
è 2 2 ø p æ 2 2ö tan ( tan - 1 ( x ) ) = x tan - 1 ( tan (q ) ) = q
2p 90° çç 2 , 2 ÷÷
æ 2 2ö 3 è ø
ç- , ÷ 3 Domain and Range
è 2 2 ø 120° p
3p 60° æ 3 1ö Function Domain Range Alternate Notation
4 çç , ÷÷ sin -1 x = arcsin x
æ 3 1ö 4 è 2 2ø p p
ç- , ÷ 135° 45° p y = sin -1 x -1 £ x £ 1 - £ y£
è 2 2ø 5p 2 2 cos -1 x = arccos x
6 0£ y£p
6 30° y = cos x -1
-1 £ x £ 1 tan -1 x = arctan x
150° p p
y = tan -1 x -¥ < x < ¥ - < y<
2 2
( -1,0) p 180° 0° 0 (1,0)
x Law of Sines, Cosines and Tangents
360° 2p

c b a
210°
7p 330°
11p
6 225°
æ 3 1ö 6 æ 3 1ö a g
ç - ,- ÷ 5p 315° ç ,- ÷
è 2 2ø è 2 2ø
4 240° 300° 7p
æ 2ö 4p 270° b
ç-
2
,- ÷ 5p 4 æ 2 2ö
è 2 2 ø 3 3p ç ,- ÷
3 è 2 2 ø
2 Law of Sines Law of Tangents
æ 1 3ö
ç - ,- ÷
æ1
ç ,-
3ö
÷ sin a sin b sin g
= = a - b tan 12 (a - b )
è 2 2 ø è2 2 ø =
( 0,-1) a b c a + b tan 12 (a + b )
Law of Cosines b - c tan 12 ( b - g )
=
a 2 = b 2 + c 2 - 2bc cos a b + c tan 12 ( b + g )
For any ordered pair on the unit circle ( x, y ) : cos q = x and sin q = y b 2 = a 2 + c 2 - 2ac cos b a - c tan 12 (a - g )
=
c = a + b - 2ab cos g a + c tan 12 (a + g )
2 2 2

Example
Mollweide’s Formula
æ 5p ö 1 æ 5p ö 3
cos ç ÷= sin ç ÷=- a + b cos 12 (a - b )
è 3 ø 2 è 3 ø 2 =
c sin 12 g

© 2005 Paul Dawkins © 2005 Paul Dawkins